Processes
Atmospheric Circulation
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The large-scale movement of air that, together with ocean circulation, redistributes thermal energy across the surface of Earth. It works as a heat engine driven by the Sun's energy with the blackness of space as its ultimate sink, carrying energy absorbed near the tropics toward the poles; its circulation cells shift poleward in warmer periods but stay largely constant because they follow from Earth's size, rotation rate, heating and atmospheric depth, which change little.
Facts
TimescaleVaries from year to year, but the large-scale structure remains fairly constant 1 Driving ForceUneven solar heating between the equator and the poles, redirected by the Earth's rotation through the Coriolis effect. 1 Resulting FeatureThe trade winds, the westerlies and the polar easterlies, organized into the Hadley, Ferrel and polar circulation cells. 1 SignificanceAtmospheric circulation redistributes heat and moisture around the planet, setting the broad pattern of Earth's climate zones and regional weather. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Together with ocean circulation it redistributes thermal energy across Earth's surface.
In Discipline
Earth's weather is a consequence of its illumination by the Sun and the laws of thermodynamics.
Sources
1. Atmospheric Circulation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air and together with ocean circulation is the means by which thermal energy is redistributed on the surface of Earth.
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